in which it snows

 

it's everywhere and it's driving this florida girl to her warm blankets and sweaters. i did manage to enjoy for a few seconds to have a snowball fight with my roommates and make snow angels. snow has it's purposes, i suppose. (namely to be admired through a thick window sitting by a fire.)

 

also: i will post about thanksgiving soon. just not today.

 

as an update, finals are descending upon all college students and the stress is thick in the air. somehow i still manage to find time to reread the night circus (a lovely book. i highly recommend it) and waste time on pinterest.

 

i cannot wait to return home to the warmth and sun.

 

for your musical enlightenment: sufjan stevens (what that man can do with a banjo)

 

"these are a few of my favorite things"

1. these guys.

2. these songs

{their album just sounds like winter.}

3. these chocolates

4. these faces

5. this place

 



in which birthday shenanigans occur

She would not have me talking about her, but tomorrow is my sister's, Lauren's, birthday. Her ***********, to be exact.

(See, I am not so cruel as to post her age on here, which ISN'T EVEN OLD.)

Anyway, my sister forever holds a dear place in my heart. She is the most wonderfully clever, hilarious, and enlightening sibling one could ask for. I am so grateful for the love, kindness, and advice she's given me over the years. And also for the fact that she understands all my movie references. Lauren's as lovely as people get. (That's not even mentioning her mesmerizing beauty.)

 

{what darlin's we are}

 

 

Thank you, sister dear, for being awesome and taking care of me as I've ventured into college life. I hope the day is bright, shining, and lucky and that all your birthday dreams come true! I love you to infinity and beyond. 



 

in which some things are explained

As I contemplated what to write for today's post, I stared at my blog title and realized: that's a really weird name.

Well, it's not the weirdest, but it does come off as rather narcissistic just glancing at it.

I got the idea of the name because 1. I love stories, 2. I wear glasses (usually only at night when no one else can see me), and 3. I adore foxes.

Seriously, have you ever seen a picture of one? Here I will help you:

JUST LOOK AT THEIR WITTLE FACES AND EARS AND CUTENESS.

My mother also fondly refers to me as a fox, but the name stems more from those little fellas.

There, you have it. That's why this blog is called Tales of a Four-Eyed Fox.

That is all.

In Which Andrew Bird (Again)

"being alone, it can be quite romantic
like Jacques Cousteau underneath the Atlantic
a fantastic voyage to parts unknown
going to depths where the sun's never shone
and i fascinate myself
                  when i'm alone

so i go a little overboard, but hang on to the hull
while i'm airbrushing fantasy art on a life
that's really kind of dull
oh, i'm in a LULL

i'm all for moderation, but sometimes it seems
moderation itself can be a kind of EXTREME
so i joined the congregation
i joined the softball team
i went in for my confirmation
where incense looks like steam
i start conjugating proverbs
where once there were nouns
this whole rhyme scheme's
starting to get me
                             down

oh, i'm in a lull
i'm in a lull

i'm rambling on rather self-consciously
while i'm stirring these condiments into my tea
and i think i'm so lame, i bet i think this song's about me
don't i, don't i, DON'T I?

i'm in a lull."

In Which I Make A Promise (Of Sort)

I know in my last post I said that I was going to try to write more often, though I could not promise anything. But then I thought to myself, I should promise. (Maybe then I'll have an incentive to write more regularly.)

Here is my proposal: I shall endeavor to write or share something each day. And I mean EACH day. (You know, seven days a week, 4 weeks a month, 12 months a year, etc.) Of course, I'll fail occasionally, but better to try to be consistent than simply think about being so.

So, there. Come here each day if you want to know what I'm doing, or simply want a laugh (or someone to laugh at).

To end this short interlude of a blog, here is a song by Andrew Bird, who might very well be my favorite singer / artist alive. Seriously, no one can convince me that this man is not a genius. I MEAN JUST ADMIRE THE WHISTLING AND THE VIOLIN AND THE SOCKS.

In Which I Apologize For Ignoring This Blog For Five Months

Hi. Wow. Has it really been almost five months since I last posted, since I left for college? I remember when I was younger, a year seemed such a long time. Now I can hardly keep with its pace. These past months were a whirlwind, to be sure. A frightening, exhilarating, glorious whirlwind. I am ashamed at how poorly I've kept this blog, for there are so many stories I want to tell you. But for now, I'll keep it short(ish) and sweet by hitting the highlights. I'll even make it a list. (I do love a good list.)

1.

The summer obviously began my college adventure, and I could not have asked for a better way to commence this new chapter of life. The roommates I had are easily some of the greatest people around. My classes were fantastic. (For the record, I am now a semi-trained Irish dancer, so basically I'm quite cool.) Unfortunately, this little blog cannot hold all the stories and jokes from summer (I'm scotch! ... tape), but suffice it to say that I was very happy and I am very lucky. These paltry words don't really do the time justice, so to make up for it, I'll post some pictures.

                                                               {begin photo montage}

                                                                       {the gang}

 

{the sweethearts threw me an early birthday party. see, I told you they were great.}

 

{end photo montage}

 

Sometimes, I really miss the summer and its people. (Especially when it snows.)

 

2.

 

One of the few upsides to summer term ending was that I got to go home for two weeks. Words cannot convey how dearly I missed my family. And how much I enjoyed not having to do homework each night.

 

Aside from being with my family, another exciting thing occurred: I turned E I G H T E E N (to my chagrin). Though I love birthdays, I loath admitting the fact that I am no longer a child. It was still quite a lovely day, however, and I am glad I spent it with my family. I would not want it any other way.

 

3.

 

Upon returning to college, I was sure fall term could not compare to the magnificence of summer. How could it, when summer was quite near perfection? My doubts were quickly confounded, though. First, I met this girl.

 

{the one on the left, not the right.}

That girl, Elizabeth (who I affectionately refer to as Eliza), is my current roommate. She is one of the weirdest and most unusual individuals I have ever met; so, in other words, we get along splendidly. In the short time we've known each other, she has become a dear and darling friend, which I am grateful for. (I'll stop it with all the mushy stuff now.) In reality, most of the time we do things like this:

 

It's a wonderful, open relationship we have, with a touch of cannibalism.

 

There's not much else to say about school. Classes are hard. Friends are good. Sleep and food are best. (and that's pretty much my life right now in a nutshell.)

 

4.

What more? My baby brudder is turning fifteen (when did we get so old?). Thanksgiving soon. Then my older brother comes home from his two-year mission.

 

Life is terribly hard right now, but it is also wonderful and kind, and I am so thankful for that.

 

p.s. I will do my best to update this more regularly, but no promises.

 





In Which A Child Grows Up

Quite a bit of time has passed in the months since my first entry and there are many things I could tell you: such as the fact that mother's day passed, I graduated from high school, or that my best friend is now a married woman. I may, at some point, return to these topics, but right now a certain subject is weighing heavily upon my heart.

Since the day I learned I was accepted into The University of My Dreams, I have experienced a cycle of emotions; a grieving process, if you will.

Step One: shock (did this really just happen?)

Step Two: denial (the part where I blatantly ignore the fact that my childhood is ending and proceed to savor the sweet taste of innocence while I can).

Step Three: hysteria (what? college? socializing? reality? balderdash!)

Step Four: acceptance.

I am currently on Step Four, which is not so much acceptance but the sharp slap of adulthood on my face.

And I am excited for college: I really am. I am hopeful, which is a beautiful state to be in. However, I am also worried, and as a practiced worrier, I am meticulously filing every single thing that can go wrong for me into my Cabinet of Anxiety: things such as what if nobody likes me? or what if my teachers are mean? or what if my cookies don't turn out well in the high altitude? The important topics.

I was given a gift today from a soul very dear to mine. Once I arrived home, I went straight to my room and opened it. I sobbed. It is such a magnificent gift, so kind and gracious and wonderful. It is everything I love and it was as if a part of my heart had been displayed on each page. As I cherished my gift, I felt such a comfort. I am loved by so many and I feel great gratitude in that. Not everyone is as lucky as I and it feels selfish to waste any of the blessings I am given. I want to experience all the good the world has to offer me. I want to travel and learn and have adventures and meet wonderful people and do glorious things. Though I am very afraid, I hope the love others have for me will help me to be brave.

My father gave me a priesthood blessing tonight. At first I cried and shook underneath his words, but a sweet peace came over me as he continued to speak. How glad I am that he is a worthy man, and how glad I am to have a Heavenly Father who sends such good things to me! Leaving my only home and family will be the hardest challenge but I think I am ready to experience what lies in store. After all, dreams and wishes can only take us so far.

Anyway, it's late and raining and I am most likely making utter nonsense. Also, I have to wake up at six-fifteen a.m., approximately six hours from now, and proceed to drive for thirteen hours. So here is my last farewell: au revior, childhood. It was nice while it lasted.

an introduction

hello.

this is obviously my first post. you don't know me, and quite frankly, i am still getting to know myself as well. this is why i am here.

in less than two months, i will journey to a far-off land called YOU JUST GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL AND ARE NOW LIVING ALONE AND ATTENDING COLLEGE. and perhaps i am not ready for this to happen. but i thought that if i could write the thoughts and experiences that will occur during this small adventure, i might not be so scared. hence the blog (because if i am to record my embarrassments, it might as well be available for all to see).

are you still here?

good.

a few things you ought to know: i am a girl in her eighteenth year of existence. currently, i am still a high school student but will soon leave for BYU (as stated above) to study english. my goal in life is to write words for a living and create beautiful things in general. i hope to include several book reviews in this blog because books are, like, awesome.

anyway, i hope you enjoy my stories. there are sure to be happy ones and sad ones but i just hope that they will all be an adventure.